سلطنت و سیاست در مرز هیمالیا: هویت راجپوت در دوران نخستین برخورد استعماری

"Kingship and Polity on the Himalayan Borderland" explores the modern transformation of state and society in the Indian Himalaya. Centred on three Rajput led-kingdoms during the transition to British rule (c. 1790-1840) and their interconnected histories, it demonstrates how border making practices engendered a modern reading of #x91;tradition#x92; that informs communal identities to this day. Countering the common depiction of these states as all-male, caste-exclusive entities, it reveals the strong familial base of Rajput polity, wherein women #x97; and regent queens in particular #x97; played a key role alongside numerous non-Rajput groups. Drawing on rich archival records, rarely examined local histories, and nearly two decades of ethnographic research, it offers an alternative to the popular and scholarly discourses that developed with the rise of colonial knowledge. The analysis exposes the cardinal contribution of borderland spaces to the fabrication of group identities. This book will interest historians and anthropologists of South Asia and of the Himalaya, as well as scholars working on postcolonialism, gender, and historiography.--Back cover Cover Table of Contents Acknowledgements A Note on Translation and Transliteration Introduction 1 Memories of a Feud: Chinjhiar, 1795 1.1 The Bilaspur-Kangra Rivalry, c. 1750-1795 1.2 The Bard’s Tale 1.3 Enter Sirmaur 1.4 The Rajputization of Pahari Kingship: Narratives of Chinjhiar, c. 1900 2 Alterity and Myth in Himalayan Historiography: Kangra, Sirmaur, and Gorkha Rule in the West 2.1 The Rise of the Katoch Legend 2.2 Beyond the Bilaspur-Kangra Rivalry: Sirmaur, 1795-1815 2.3 Explaining the Silence about Gorkha Rule in West Himalayan Histories 3 Sati and Sovereignty in Theory and Practise 3.1 The Multiple Roles of Royal Women, c. 1775-1825 3.2 The Guleri Rani of Sirmaur 3.3 Rethinking Sati and Women’s Agency in British India 3.4 European and Pahari Rajput Appropriations of Sati 4 Statecraft at the Edge of Empire: Bilaspur, 1795-1835 4.1 Beyond the Rajput Fold: Brahmins, ascetics, and monastic advisors 4.2 The Ends of ‘Empire from Below’: Kot Dhar, 1819 4.3 Kingship Recalibrated: Kharak Chand’s Bilaspur, 1824-35 5 Widowed Ranis, Scheming Rajas, and the Making of ‘Rajput Tradition’ 5.1 A Marriage of Interests: the Sirmauri ranis in Bilaspur 5.2 Kingship and its Practise: Bilaspur, Sirmaur, and the ‘Rajput State’ 5.3 The Ranis’ Revolution: Bilaspur, 1839-40 Epilogue Appendix: The Jhera of Chinjhiar Bibliography Index List of Images, Maps and Charts Image 1 The Kangra Valley, looking west from the northeast (Mata Maheshwari temple and fort, Chota Bhangal) Image 2 Kangra Fort (Kangra Kot) Image 3 Bilaspur, the view towards the south from Garh Chinjhiar Image 4 The highlands of inner Sirmaur Image 5 Raja Kirat Prakash of Sirmaur (b. 1747, r. 1757-73/4) Image 6 A Nath yogi visiting a Rajputni harem in Chamba Image 7 Raja Sansar Chand Katoch II alias Pahari Padhsah (b. 1765, r. 1775-1823); Kangra c. 1840 Image 8 Pahari Rajputnis; Guler c. 1830 Image 9 The Sutlej River Valley near Rampur-Bashahr Image 10 A Sikh sardar, possibly Desa Singh Majitha, receiving a deputation of Hill Chiefs; Guler c. 1775 Image 11 Portrait of a Prince, Bilaspur c. 1700 Image 12 Pahari warrior-peasants; Punjab Hills (Kangra?), late nineteenth century Map 1 Rajput Kingdoms of the Western Himalaya Map 2 Sirmaur Map 3 Bilaspur Genealogical chart "This book explores the modern transformation of state and society in the Indian Himalaya. Centred on three Rajput-led kingdoms during the transition to British rule (c. 1790-1840) and their interconnected histories, it demonstrates how border making practices engendered a modern reading of 'tradition' that informs communal identities to date. By revising the history of these mountain kings on the basis of extensive archival, textual, and ethnographic research, it offers an alternative to popular and scholarly discourses that grew with the rise of colonial knowledge. This revision ultimately points to the important contribution of borderland spaces to the fabrication of group identities."

A collection of international case studies addressing a variety of environmental and legal issues regarding coastal regions